LEPIDOPTERA. 33 



insects becoming stiff while others are being set, in which case 

 it is better to pin at once into a damp cork box all that havc- 

 been taken out of the canister, but under ordinary circum- 

 stances I prefer to pin them one by one as I set them. 



" Taking the lid off a box, and taking the box between the 

 linger and 'thumb of the right hand, I roll out the insect on the 

 top of the left thumb, supporting it with the top of the fore 

 finger and so manipulating it as to bring the head pointing 

 towards my right hand and the thorax uppermost. Now I 

 take a pin in the right hand and resting the first joint of the 

 middle finger of the right against the projecting point of the 

 middle finger of the left hand to avoid unsteadiness, I pin 

 the insect obliquely through the thickest part of the thorax so 

 that the head of the pin leans very slightly forward over the 

 head of the insect. After passing the pin far enough through 

 to bring about one-fourth of an inch out below,* I pin the 

 insect into the middle of the groove of a setting-board so that 

 the edge of the groove will just support the under sides of the 

 wings close up to the body when they are raised upon it. The 

 board should be chosen of such a size as will permit of the 

 extension of the wings nearly to its outer edge. The position 

 of the pin should still be slanting a little forward. The wings 

 should now be raised into the position in which they are in- 

 tended to rest, with especial care in doing so not to remove 

 any scales from the surface or cilia of the wings. Each wing 

 should be fastened with a brace long enough to extend across 

 both, the braces being pinned at the thick end, so that the 

 head of the pin slopes away from the point of the brace ; this 

 causes the braces to press more firmly down on the wing when 

 fixed. The insect should be braced thus : the two braces next 

 the body should have the points upwards, the two outer ones 

 pointing downwards and slightly inwards towards the body, 

 and covering the main portion of the wings^ beyond the middle. 

 Antennae should be carefully laid back above the wings, and 

 braces should lie flat, exercising an even pressure at all points 

 of their surface. The fore wings should slope slightly forwards 

 so that a line drawn from the point of one to the point of the 



*The English mode of pinning low down on a short pin presents so many dis- 

 advantages that we would caution collectors to pin high up on a long pin so that 

 three-fourths of its length should project below the body. Editor. 

 S. M. C. 2G1. 5 



